Genesis 21:20 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And God was with the boy, and he grew up. He lived in the wilderness and became an expert with the bow.

NIV: God was with the boy as he grew up. He lived in the desert and became an archer.

NASB: And God was with the boy, and he grew; and he lived in the wilderness and became an archer.

CSB: God was with the boy, and he grew; he settled in the wilderness and became an archer.

NLT: And God was with the boy as he grew up in the wilderness. He became a skillful archer,

KJV: And God was with the lad; and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer.

NKJV: So God was with the lad; and he grew and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer.

Abraham evicted Hagar and Ishmael at the demand of Sarah (Genesis 21:9–10). At first, the idea made Abraham extremely upset, but God promised to prosper Ishmael (Genesis 21:11–13), and agreed that they should be sent away. Eventually, the pair ran out of water after wandering in the wilderness, and Hagar went to sit far enough away from her son that she would not have to watch him die.

God's promise, however, was not going to fail. In the prior verse, God saved Hagar and Ishmael from dying of thirst in the wilderness, as Hagar stumbles across a well of water. God's promise is still in place. Ishmael would not only survive; he would become a great nation.

In Genesis 17, Abraham had expressed his desire for his son Ishmael to live with God. Though God would not establish Abraham's covenant with Ishmael, the Lord had assured Abraham that Ishmael would not be abandoned (Genesis 17:18–20). Now we see that God is still with Ishmael.

Though he and his mother continued to live in the wilderness, Ishmael grew and thrived. He became an expert bowman. This may mean he became a skilled hunter or skilled in battle as an archer, or both.

Genesis 21:8–21 describes the painful departure of Hagar and Ishmael from Abraham's life. Now that Isaac is born, Sarah furiously demands that Abraham cast them out. He is greatly displeased, but is told by God that Ishmael will be protected and blessed. So Abraham obeys the Lord and sends them into the wilderness. God steps in and saves the mother and child. He renews his promise to make Ishmael a great nation in his own right. Ishmael grows up in the wilderness, eventually marrying an Egyptian woman.

The Lord did as He had promised. Sarah, now 90 years old, gives birth to Isaac, the long-awaited child. Her joy sours, though, over a fear that Isaac might have to share an inheritance with Ishmael. In obedience to the Lord, who promises to safeguard Ishmael, Abraham sends him and his mother, Hagar, into the wilderness. God rescues them and renews His promise to make Ishmael a great nation in his own right. Meanwhile, Abimelech, king of Gerar, approaches Abraham to make a permanent treaty between them and their descendants. The agreement includes Abraham's possession of a well, at a place which will become known as Beersheba.

In the prior chapter, Abraham managed to get Sarah back from Abimelech, following his own deception and God's intervention. Here, Abraham and Sarah finally conceive a natural child. Isaac, the long-awaited child of the promise, is born. In obedience to God, Abraham sends Hagar and Ishmael away. Abimelech approaches Abraham to make a treaty, giving Abraham a permanent home in a place that becomes known as Beersheba. In the following chapter, God will test Abraham's faith and obedience, in one of Scripture's ultimate examples of trust.

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.